This invention is in the field of VHF, UHF, and microwave antennas, or more specifically it is related to small conformal antennas which are frequency tuned both electrically and mechanically without changing the physical dimensions of the antenna.
For many applications the versatility of an antenna is of great importance, especially when being utilized in research and development situations. In certain instances they must be adjusted to allow flush-mounting on cylindrical or conical surfaces. Often they must be modified to conform with more complex surfaces such as aircraft or reentry vehicles. One problem often associated with these requisites is that of being able to frequency tune such an antenna without changing its physical dimensions.
The present invention satisfies all these requirements with an antenna which is additionally characterized by small size, lightweight and sufficient operating bandwidth for most applications. Furthermore, it is rather easily fabricated at low cost.
It is therefore one object of this invention to provide a radiator whose exterior dimensions are adjustable to allow flush mounting.
It is another object of this invention to provide an antenna which can be frequency tuned both electrically and mechanically without changing the physical dimensions of the antenna.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a conformal antenna with sufficient operating bandwidth at a relatively low cost.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an antenna which can exhibit nearly a constant amplitude in its radiating field in a plane containing the radiator.
It is still a further object of this invention to provide a single conformal antenna which is of small size and lightweight, yet can be frequency tuned over at least a 7:1 frequency range.